Federal Emergency Management Agency of the United States

In the computer game Deus Ex, Walton Simons is the director of FEMA. At the time, the site had 12 milion registered users, which means that half of all people who have internet access in the UK are registered. In The X-Files movie, Alvin Kurtzweil tells Fox Mulder that FEMA is involved in the global conspiracy involving aliens. On 6 December 2005 it was reported that ITV plc was buying Friends Reunited for a reported £120 million. This position includes additional responsibilities beyond FEMA including the oversight of the Department of Energy's Nuclear Incident Response Team, or NIRT. Friends Reunited features prominently in Ben Elton's detective novel Past Mortem (2004). After the formation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, the official title of the head of FEMA became Under Secretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response. Both services will allow matching from each others' databases in the near future, though this does not appear to functioning as of June 9, 2005.

Qualified persons may submit applications here. In 2005, the similar web site SchoolFriends Australia & New Zealand changed its name to Friends Reunited, joining with the UK site. The President is currently hiring for this position. Friends Reunited has been used by bitter partners to get revenge on those who have abandoned them² and users have even been sued for the comments that they have made on Friends Reunited about other people ³. As Under Secretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response within DHS. According to the Register, potential employers use entries there to identify weak points in job applicants ¹. As director of Cabinet-level agency:. Friends Reunited has become popular enough that its uses have gone beyond the intentions of its designers.

As director of the agency:. The site has also lent its name to various CDs specialising in popular music of the past (specifically the years 1970 to 1989.) It has branched out to include a dating service, a genealogy element, Genes Reunited which allows users to trace their family tree, and a recruitment service for users to find new jobs. Since Hurricane Katrina, some critics have called for FEMA to be removed from the Department of Homeland Security, saying that its position in the department badly hindered the agency's response. For an annual fee, users can send messages to other users. South Florida newspaper Sun-Sentinel has an extensive list of documented criticisms of FEMA during the four hurricanes that hit the region in 2004.[5] Some of the criticisms include:. Registered users can search schools, universities, streets and various other places in order to locate old friends. FEMA does encourage disaster victims to reduce future losses by considering "taking steps to rebuild safer and smarter," advising them to[4]:. Founded by Steve and Julie Pankhurst, Friends Reunited is a British web site that helps users get in contact with people from their past.

The Cato Institute's Handbook for Congress argues that private companies could perform the tasks carried about by FEMA, and that this would encourage home construction in safer areas[3]:. Note 3: Friends Reunited user in libel payout, John Leyden, [The Register], 21 May 2002, verified 27 January 2005 from http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/05/21/friends_reunited_user_in_libel/. Moreover, he said that FEMA is used by incumbent presidents to shore up political support[2]. Note 2: Web hath no fury like a woman scorned, Amelia Hill, The Observer, 5 May 2002, verified 27 January 2005 from http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,710179,00.html. In 1997, James Bovard criticized FEMA for subsidizing rebuilding in places that are vulnerable to natural disasters, asking, "[D]o we really want to help rebuild homes and government property in areas that should never have been built on in the first place?" He also claimed that localities are less likely to fund their own snow removal if they know the federal government will bail them out in the event of snow emergencies[1]. Note 1: Friends Reunited gives third reference, Startups.co.uk (sic), The Register, 24 June 2003, verified 27 January 2005 from http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/06/24/friends_reunited_gives_third_reference/. Survivors of Katrina can learn more about FEMA assistance available at a wiki web site FEMAanswers.org.

The telephone number to receive disaster assistance from FEMA is 800-621-3362. There are hundreds of thousands of Katrina evacuees living in temporary shelters and/or trailer parks set up by FEMA and other relief organizations in the first months after the disaster hit. After the February 7 deadline, Katrina victims will be left to their own devices to either find permanent housing for the long term, or to continue in social welfare programs set up by other organizations. FEMA set a deadline of February 7, 2006 as the official end of any further coverage of temporary housing costs for Katrina victims.

However, formal investigations have yet to determine who exactly is to blame (and to what extent) for the Katrina disaster. It is widely held that many things did not function as planned. Katrina was seen as the first major test of the nation’s new disaster response plan under DHS. Michael Brown would eventually be relieved of command of the Katrina disaster and soon thereafter resign.

Brown was criticized personally for a slow response and apparent disconnect with the actual situation on the ground. Then FEMA Director Michael D. FEMA was widely criticized for what is seen as a slow initial response to the disaster and an inability to effectively manage, care for and move those trying to leave the city. The situation was compounded by flood waters in the city that hampered transportation and poor communication between the federal government, state and local entities.

The enormous number of evacuees simply overwhelmed rescue personnel. Within three days, a large contingent of National Guard and active duty troops were deployed to the region. FEMA was responsible for the evacuation of the thousands of people who remained in New Orleans during the storm, as well as initial recovery work and appropriations. FEMA had pre-positioned response personnel in the Gulf Coast region, however many were only able to report of dire situation along the Gulf Coast, especially from New Orleans.

FEMA received intense criticism for its response to the disaster. August 2005 saw one of the worst natural disasters in United States history. (see also Hurricane Katrina). Within the $5.5 billion, FEMA was also allotted funds to pay for its own recovery efforts.

As of 2003, FEMA had received US$5.5 billion to distribute amongst local and state agencies to help offset the cost of recovery. FEMA played its largest role in the appropriation of federal funds to aid local and state governments in paying for the disaster. FEMA had deployed 25 of the 28 Urban Search and Rescue teams at its disposal to the World Trade Center site, however the New York City Office of Emergency Management was in charge of the WTC recovery effort. In the minutes after the first hijacked plane slammed into the World Trade Center towers, FEMA as well as emergency services all over the city and state of New York were mobilized.

(see also September 11 2001 attacks). FEMA had previously been criticized for its response to Hurricane Hugo, which hit South Carolina in September 1989, and many of the same issues that plagued the agency during Hurricane Andrew were also evident during the response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Within five days, the federal government and neighboring states had dispatched 20,000 National Guard and active duty troops to South Dade County to set up temporary housing. FEMA and the federal government at large were accused of not responding fast enough to house, feed, and sustain the approximately 250,000 people left homeless in the affected areas.

FEMA was widely criticized for the agency’s response to Andrew, summed up by the famous exclamation, "Where in the hell is the cavalry on this one?" by Dade County, Florida, emergency management director Kate Hale. In August 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck the Florida and Louisiana coasts with 165 mph (265 km/h) sustained winds. (see also Hurricane Andrew). There are also Mobile Air Transportable Telecommunications System (MATTS) assets which can be airlifted in.

For instance, they may operate a truck with satellite uplink, computers, telephone, and power generation at a staging area near a disaster, so that the responders can communicate with the outside world. These teams provide communications support to local public safety. mines. These task forces rescue victims of structural collapse and other confined spaces, ex.

National Medical Response Teams (NMRT) are equipped to decontaminate victims of chemical and biological agents. Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT) provide mortuary and forensic services. There are also National Nursing Response Teams (NNRT), National Pharmacy Response Teams (NPRT), and Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT). Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) provide medical care at disasters and are typically made up of doctors and paramedics.

Teams are made up of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc, and are typically sponsored by hospitals, public safety agencies, or private organizations. These teams provide medical and allied care to disaster victims. FEMA's emergency response is based around small, decentralized teams trained in such specialties as medical care, search and rescue, and communications. Other programs FEMA previously administered have since been internalized or shifted under direct DHS control.

Fire Administration and the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA currently manages the U.S. The Director reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security. Today, FEMA exists as part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate.

As a result, FEMA Director Michael Brown was relieved of command of the Gulf Coast region and resigned shortly thereafter. FEMA and DHS both came under intense criticism for their handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005 (see Katrina and Criticism sections below). [Washington Post Dec 23, 2005]. Brown, FEMA's director and DHS Undersecretary, warned that the shift would make a mockery of FEMA's new motto, "A Nation Prepared," and would "fundamentally sever FEMA from its core functions," "shatter agency morale," and "break longstanding, effective and tested relationships with states and first responder stakeholders." The inevitable result of the reorganization of 2003, warned Brown, would be "an ineffective and uncoordinated response" to a terrorist attack or a natural disaster.

In September, 2003, Michael D. As a result, FEMA became part of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate of DHS, and employs more than 2,600 full time employees. FEMA was absorbed into DHS as of 2003. Following the Terrorist Attacks of 11 September 2001, President Bush created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to better coordinate between the different federal agencies that deal with law enforcement, disaster preparedness and recovery, border protection and civil defense.

The end of the Cold War also allowed the agency’s resources to be turned away from civil defense to natural disaster preparedness. Witt initiated reforms that would help to streamline the disaster recovery and mitigation process. In 1993 President Bill Clinton elevated FEMA to a cabinet level position and named James Lee Witt as FEMA Director. These disasters, while showing the agency could function properly, also uncovered some inefficiencies.

FEMA also responded to the Three Mile Island nuclear accident where the nuclear generating station suffered a partial core meltdown. One of the first disasters FEMA responded to was the dumping of toxic waste into Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York in the late 1970’s. FEMA was also given the responsibility for overseeing the nation’s Civil Defense, a function which had previously been performed by the Department of Defense’s Defense Civil Preparedness Agency. FEMA absorbed the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program, the Federal Preparedness Agency of the General Services Administration and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration activities from HUD.

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter, at the prompting of the National Governor’s Association, signed Executive Order 12148 which put a new agency, FEMA, in charge of coordinating all disaster relief efforts at the federal level. Many government agencies were still involved in disaster relief, in some cases over 100 separate agencies may be jockeying for control and jurisdiction of a disaster. This agency would oversee disasters such as Hurricane Carla in 1962, Hurricane Betsy in 1965, Hurricane Camille in 1969 and Hurricane Agnes in 1972, the Alaskan (Good Friday) Earthquake of 1964 and the San Fernando Earthquake of 1971. By the start of the 1960’s, federal disaster relief and recovery was brought under the umbrella of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which created the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration.

This “piecemeal approach” to disaster recovery was troubled by poor interagency cooperation and bureaucratic red tape. Army Corps of Engineers authority over flood control and irrigation projects and thus played a major role in disaster recovery from flooding. The Flood Control Act of 1944 also gave the U.S. The Bureau of Public Roads in 1934 was given authority to finance the reconstruction of highways and roads after a disaster.

RFC can be considered the first organized federal disaster response agency. RFC was also responsible for dispensing federal dollars in the wake of a disaster. The purpose of the RFC was to lend money to banks and institutions to stimulate economic activity. After the start of the Great Depression in 1929, President Herbert Hoover had commissioned the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) in 1932.

POOP. After President Abraham Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theatre, the 54th Congress passed legislation compensating those who were injured in the theatre. Examples of these include the waiving of duties and tariffs to the merchants of New York City after a fire in the mid 1830’s. Between 1803 and 1930, ad-hoc legislation was passed more than 100 times for relief or compensation after a disaster.

This is widely considered the first piece of legislation passed by the federal government that provided relief after a disaster and can be viewed as the beginnings of federal policies to provide relief after a disaster. The Seventh Congress passed a number of measures in the Congressional Act of 1803, which provided relief for the merchants of Portsmouth by waiving duties and tariffs on goods. The first major disaster in the history of the United States was a series of devastating fires in the port city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The history of FEMA can be divided into the following parts.

The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has existed in one form or another for over 200 years. . FEMA provides financial assistance to individuals and governments to rebuild homes, businesses, and public facilities; trains firefighters and emergency medical professionals; and funds emergency planning throughout the United States and its territories. FEMA coordinates the work of federal, state, and local agencies in responding to floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.

Mainly, FEMA responds to any disaster that occurs in the United States that is declared a federal disaster area by the President of the United States. The agency is charged with what it defines as four domains of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is a government agency in the United States which is organized under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. David Paulison (acting), September 2005.

R. Brown, March 2003 - September 2005. Michael D. Allbaugh, February 2001 - March 2003.

Joe M. John Magaw (acting), January 2001 - February 2001. James Lee Witt, April 1993 - January 2001. Tidball (acting), January 1993 - April 1993.

William C. Stickney, August 1990 - January 1993. Wallace E. Jennings (acting), May 1990 - August 1990.

Jerry D. Morris (acting), June 1989 - May 1990. Robert H. Becton, Jr., November 1985 - June 1989.

Julius W. Morris (acting), September 1985 - November 1985. Robert H. Giuffrida, May 1981 - September 1985.

Louis O. McConnell (acting), April 1981 - May 1981. John W. Bernard Gallagher (acting), January 1981 - April 1981.

John Macy, August 1979 - January 1981. Thomas Casey (acting), July 1979. Gordon Vickery (acting), April 1979 - July 1979. Office of Emergency Preparedness, May 1975-April 1979.

Hafer, E.O.P. James K. Ten of the people whose funerals were paid for were not even in Florida at the time of their deaths.[8]. FEMA used hurricane aid money to pay funeral expenses for at least 203 Floridians whose deaths were not caused by the 2004 Hurricanes, the state's coroners have concluded.

Senate committee and the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security found that FEMA inappropriately declared Miami-Dade county a disaster area and then awarded millions, often without verifying storm damage or a need for assistance.[6][7]. A U.S. When Hurricane Frances hit South Florida on Labor Day weekend, (over 100 miles north of Miami-Dade County) 9,800 Miami-Dade applicants were approved by FEMA for $28 million in storm claims for new furniture, clothes, thousands of new televisions, microwaves, and refrigerators, cars, dental bills and a funeral even though the Medical Examiner recorded no deaths from Frances. Consider buying flood insurance.

Encourage community to participate in National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Take measures to reduce losses in the future.